“Not a day had gone by that I didn’t dream about Shane, that one day he would come home to us. I imagined that our days would be filled with long talks and moments of reconnection, and our nights would be full of hot, sweaty sex. But things weren’t going the way I had imagined. Baby steps, Megan. He just needs to adjust. I couldn’t change the past and we would have to take things in stride. We couldn’t be the same couple we once were, not overnight.”

When Shane Turner shows up at Megan Connors’s carport one rainy night, Megan thinks she’s dreaming. The man who has held her heart since high school, and the father of her unborn child, is supposed to be dead, killed in an explosion at a safe house. But somehow Shane has survived, and Megan believes that with him home safely and their baby on the way, they will finally get their happy ending.

But it soon becomes apparent that all is not what it seems. Shane is home, but he’s brought some demons back with him, demons that Megan can’t fight alone. Shane is a haunted man, plagued by paranoia and distrust. He believes that danger threatens their lives at every turn, and it is tearing their life together apart.

In this compelling sequel to The Broken Road, Shane must deal with the present and the future, with the cartel—and himself. Megan must protect her family and, when the time comes, must make the ultimate decision.

Will Shane and Megan have their happily ever after, or will it just be another broken promise?

“Good morning,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep. He wrapped his muscular arms around my belly from behind me, the evidence of his arousal pressed against the small of my back. My breath caught and my heart quickened as he nuzzled the sensitive spot under my ear. Just this one simple act had my core pulsing with liquid heat. His hands roamed north, barely grazing my belly, and tenderly kneaded my swollen breasts. Moaning, I tilted my head up toward his and caught his searing lips with mine.

Abandoning the pan in front of me, I turned and threw my arms around his neck. Passion fueled my body as our lips frantically mashed together. Our tongues clashed, dueling over the right to invade the other’s mouth. Shane’s hands cupped my behind, then gripped hard as he led me over to the table. He swept aside the napkins and papers that covered it and lifted me onto the smooth surface.

Red colored my vision as my primal need took over. Shane pulled off my bathrobe at the same moment I yanked down his sweatpants. My mouth watered at the size of his erection and I eagerly stroked his throbbing, rigid shaft. His head rolled back and he groaned at my touch. There was a time for cuddling and foreplay, but this wasn’t it. His hazel eyes smoldered, and he desperately ripped the thin material of my cotton underwear right out from under me. Craving his touch, his body, his heat against mine, I leaned back on my elbows and gave him the opening he wanted.

Melissa grew up in Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay, where her favorite memories took place near the water. Now she lives near Washington, D.C. with her family, dog, and a lot of fish. In between the chaos of laundry, chasing after her three children and trying not to burn dinner, Melissa continues to find her escape by feeding her addiction of reading and writing about love, suspense, and sarcasm.

From conference rooms to broom closets, I escaped reality with my leading men. Okay, so they were fictional book boyfriends.

In reality I should have been concentrating on classes while I looked for a living, breathing man to help me achieve my romantic fantasies. It was a friend who suggested combining my passions for romance novels and psychology to generate my Master's thesis research topic: Does the modern day romance novel leading man create unrealistic expectations for a prolonged adult relationship?

To find out, I’d run a social experiment. I’d be the constant. The variables would be my leading men. I’d date every stereotype in the books, from billionaires to bad boys, rock stars to bikers, dominants, athletes, and…my stepbrother?

If my research was successful, I'd end up with a degree and maybe even my very own happy ending.

“What’s that?” Austin asked, snatching my list out of Shannon’s hand. “The list for my research project. Do you know any men who fit my criteria?” I asked. He studied the list for a moment before handing it back to me. “I know a few.” Six eyes turned to Austin. “Who?” I asked. “I know a rock star. Well, kind of. He sings for a local band, but they’ve got a great following. I know several businessmen, but not any CEOs. I might be able to hook you up with one, though. And I know a few bars around here where your bad boys hang out.” My jaw dropped. Everyone has that one friend who knows everybody. Austin had lived in San Diego his entire life, so he knew the lay of the land. “Take me to your bars!” I practically yelled, garnering a glare from students studying nearby. “Sorry,” I whispered. “Wait a minute,” Shannon said. “I thought of a few you’re missing from your list.” A few I was missing? I thought I’d pretty much covered all the bases. “Who?” “You need a Fabio.” She stated it like it was obvious. “Like a cover model?” I asked. She shrugged. “Sure. Or like a historical romance guy.” I laughed. Shannon could be a bit of an airhead sometimes. “Where am I going to find a historical romance guy? We’re in the present tense, Shannon.” “Duh. Renaissance Festival. And Austin, you seem to know everybody else. Do you know any vampires?” Laughter bubbled up from my chest. I couldn’t help when it spilled out, and when I looked over at Austin and Scott, I found a similar reaction. Shannon stared at us blankly. “What?” she asked. “Vampires?” I asked through my giggles. “They’re in all the books,” she clarified, only spurring on our laughter. Her brows came together in anger. My giggles turned into those silent quaking convulsions that I couldn’t possibly control. Scott was holding up his hand as if to tell Shannon to stop while he laughed, and Austin clutched his stomach from the hilarity. We’d stop for a minute only to glance at one or the other, and then we’d start back up again, garnering more glares from students near us. Our laughing had to have gone on for at least a full five minutes before we were composed enough to talk about it. “What?” Shannon finally asked in frustration. Austin gave Shannon a very serious look while I stifled another wave of giggles. Scott had to excuse himself after a less than flattering snort. “Vampires aren’t real,” Austin finally said. “Well, you need a paranormal,” Shannon said, her voice both irritated and completely serious. “How about a werewolf?”

After that comment, it was my turn to excuse myself after a less than flattering snort.

Author Bio

Lisa Suzanne started handwriting her books on yellow legal pads after she took a creative writing class in high school. She still has those legal pads full of stories, but now one of them is published under the title How He Really Feels. She currently works as a full time high school English teacher, and her favorite part of the year is summer. She has been blessed with the world’s best dog, a supportive family, and a husband who encouraged her to publish after reading one of her novels. She likes the advice of Ernest Hemingway’s famous quote, “Write drunk. Edit sober.”

Now, I cause the pain. I make people break and beg for their lives, as I decide their fates.

It's up to me as the Enforcer to protect my club by any means necessary.

She comes in to my life, like a stiff punch to the gut,

making me question everything I once believed.

She belongs to my brother and it goes against everything to take her from him.

However, I don't want to just take her. No, I want them both.

Can my club handle it?

Can he?

Because she already loves me...

“London, I still can’t believe Cain let you drive his car.”

“Did I say he let me drive it?” She peers at me curiously.

“No fucking way! You took his car? Are you nuts?”

She shrugs, grinning, a shit eating grin and turns to walk into the grocery store. She’s lost her freaking mind. Cain is going to redden her ass like no tomorrow and I bet she’s anticipating just that.

“This right here is why we are such good friends, you know that right?” I chortle loudly, walking quickly to catch up with her long legs.

“Because we both like to steal cars?” Her icy blue irises sparkle and I giggle.

“No, but this is pretty epic. I wonder if he has figured it out yet.”

“Oh my phone will be blowing up like crazy when he does, don’t worry, we will know.”

“You don’t think he would come here on his bike do you? He still keeps his old bike at the club right?”

“Fuck my life. If you see him, hide. I need to have a cake or something in my hands when he sees me. I know I can distract him if I promise he can lick something off of me.”

“And I thought I was the kinky one.”

“Please bitch; you are sooo the kinky one! Speaking of, how is the deal working out with having Ares too?” She glances at me as she gets a shopping cart and starts walking toward the produce section in the grocery store.

“I don’t have Ares too.” I gaze at her a little confused.

I'm met with laughter and it sends a tingle down my spine. I know that laugh. They walk through the bar. She has her arm laced through his, smiling happily.

“Brother!” He chortles, beaming a smile towards me, alongside hers.

“Yo.”

“Goin’ for a spin, you wanna come with?”

“No thanks brother, got some ass waiting.” I grumble and Shay giggles beside me, eating up the attention. I shrug her off my arm, sitting up and taking a long swallow of my whiskey.

“Alright man, have a good time.”

I nod, he turns to leave and I catch the glare she sends to Shay. I don’t know why but for some reason that little look makes me fucking stiff as a rod. My pants grow tight and I shift my legs, thinking about taking her, about having them both.

They make their way outside, the club door slamming in their leave. A small hand caresses my leg, rubbing over my hard cock a few times and I growl.

“You weren’t kidding, you really are ready. You want it here or should we go to your room?” Shay questions excitedly.

“No, ‘we’ ain’t headed nowhere, Shay. I wasn’t talking about you.”

“You’re joking.”

“Dead fuckin’ serious.”

Sapphire Knight is the author of Secrets, Exposed, Relinquish and Corrupted. Her books all reflect on what she loves to read herself.

She is a Texas girl who is crazy about football. Sapphire has always had a knack for writing, whether it is poems or stories.

She originally studied psychology and that has only added to her passion for writing. Sapphire has two boys and has been married for ten years.

When she’s not busy in her writing cave, she’s busy playing with her three Doberman Pinschers.

After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon’s army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger.

But fate has a different plan.

Ariah Larochelle is a survivor. Orphaned at twelve and victim to a devastating crime, she has learned to keep her back to walls and to trust no one. But when she finds a gravely injured soldier washed up on the River Seine, she’s moved by compassion. In spite of her reservations, she rescues him from the icy water and brings him into her home.

Now scarred inside and out, Gabriel discovers a kindred spirit in Ariah—and feelings he imagined lost forever reawaken as he observes her strength in the face of adversity. But when Ariah’s own lethal secrets unfold, their new love is threatened by ancient ghosts. Can Gabriel and Ariah find hope in the wreckage of their pasts—or will the cycle of history repeat again?

Perfect for fans of Gaelen Foley’s Lord of Ice and Judith James’s Broken Wing, Finding Gabriel features all the dark romance, searing passion, and historical intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

Gabriel released Ariah’s chin and tore away the bandage in a harsh movement. As his eyes bore into her own, pale moonlight fell upon the deformity, illuminating the twisted flesh and grotesque welts. The sight reminded her of a beautiful chateau . . . a stunning fortress situated along the coastline . . . one that had fallen into ruin and neglect. The skin was concave, destroyed, cavernous – a remnant of former glory. And the surrounding features – his burning eyes, the right side of his face, his powerful body – dwarfed the disfigurement with a striking beauty.

“Look at the monster you have created. Look upon my face, Ariah.”

She shivered at the sound of her name; slightly muffled from the injury to his mouth, it slid from his tongue with equal parts venom and hunger.

“I was supposed to die that night . . .” The last of his words ended in a choked whisper. His face fell forward in despair until his forehead was pressed against her own. He was impossibly close. And he appeared every gram a flesh-and-blood warrior – coarse and ruthlessly untamed. Sweltering heat radiated from his body and engulfed all five of her senses. She was suffocating. Visions of that long-ago night echoed in her mind until she could perceive nothing else. Ariah gave a shallow cry as she struggled to free herself once more.

“Don’t. Don’t leave me. Please.”

Her movements ceased. The words struck a chord deep inside her chest. She connected her gaze with his and was rendered speechless by the naked anguish in his stare. Regret and desire were etched in every line of his face – but what stole her breath was something entirely different. For the second time, it was neither anger nor resentment that radiated from his eyes, but a longing so intense that it nearly overwhelmed her: hope

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel's passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.

Rachel endeavors to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.

Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.

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I received an arc in exchange for an honest review
Just a warning to people that if you don't like dark reads then this isn't the book for you, as there are scenes of violence and taboo subjects.
This book is not your typical Romeo and...

It was nice to have Bash's story in print.
I finally got to understand why he did what he did. The pressures that he was under and that he felt that he had only one way out of it.
It's nice to see a book that deals with real life issue...

This deserves 4.5 stars
This was a dark dark read, only read this if you like dark reads.
Pepper doesn't disappoint with this book, OMG Pepper but where do you get you ideas from this was fantastic.
This is a slightly different plot b...

**** I received this arc in exchange for an honest review***
This book is about two desperately messed up people who come together.
Grayson has just escaped an abusive relationship and moves home. She has a twin who is the complete opp...